COLLECTIF MASQUE CSC DES FOSSÉS-JEAN FRANCE THALES TEATER TEATER HALLAND TEATER SAGOHUSET SUÈDE BRICKLAYERS ST. OLAF COLLEGE CARLTON COLLEGE USA PRESENTS WOMEN, GENDER AND MASK, 1 INTERNATIONAL PROJECT « This adventure begins in Paris in March 2006, when two men, Stefan Ridell, *THE RESEARCH theater director at Teater Halland in Sweden and Etienne Champion, sculptor of mask and co-director of the Collectif Masque, France proposed me a project: The objective of «Trans Mission» is to question and position ourselves on the The mask and women - a workshop and a production. subject of women and gender, through creating plays related to the theme, The mask - I have worked for 20 years with Mario Gonzalez and Christophe laboratories, cultural activities, conferences, awareness campaigns. This topic Patty, both teachers at the National Conservatory of Paris. generates a particular interest in our societies. Women - I realize that I do not know much about this other half, my half, of WOMEN, humanity and in fact I’m not the only one. As soon as we open a dictionary or a During our research we will try to answer to several questions about women, history book, the absence of women is striking. To find more information about gender, mask and theater. GENDER AND women we have to go and have a look «specialized» literature as if women were MASKS, some strange beings. The points will be: At Teater Halland, in Sweden in June 2006, I started a Laboratory with international actresses and masks. This experience gave answers to my questions, because 1. The feminine character: PROJECT the mask allows the actors to express themselves freely, to reveal and unfold. -How it’s represented in the past, through different authors and plays. It allowed me finally to specify myR esearch* -How it should change or adapted to our modern times (reversed casting, After this experience, I realized the importance of meeting other women, different ways of representing women’s body and face, parts related to gender: a other men, other cultures, other point of views, to exchange : Berlin - Mitte character is masculine or feminine or just represents humanity?) Theaterhause, Stockholm -Teater Lacrimosa, France - L’Avant Seine / Theatre of Colombes, Romania - IC-Urgent and USA -The Bricklayers Theatre. 2. The feminine acting: From all these encounters my artistic team was created : Marta Cicionesi, Sylvie -What she transmits on stage, her transmission in theater acting. Berthou, Christophe Patty, Marcela Obregon, Axel Petersen, Doriane Moretus, -The main feminine characters in our classics and modern plays. Matt Trucano, Kyle Cadotte, Barbra Berlovitz , Mats Johansson, Barbara and Marc Pueyo, Maria Ericson, Boel Larsson, Harald Leander. 3. Famous women and non famous woman : And from this team and the Research program*, several creations were born : -We will research on what they gave to history and humanity. The Threepenny Opera (work around gender in reversed casting : Mr Peachum becomes Mrs. Peachum) at the Regional Teater Halland. The European 4) Acting with mask will guide us to resolve our questions since mask work is play Venus Machina (feminine mask and image research) created in the the fundament of drama work: the more you are hidden the more you must tell Avant Seine Theater in France. Twelfth Night (work on gender) and Mother the truth. Courage (Famous anonymous women) in Chicago and in Minneapolis with the Bricklayers Theatre of Chicago. Antigone (famous mythic women) at Skillinge Theatre in Sweden and at Avignon’s Festival. And now, our new creation The Venus Museum (women’s archetypes: the obsessive bodies) » MARIANA ARAOZ, TRANS–MISSION’S PROJECT DESIGNER 2 From our Research*, performances, workshops and laboratories we have created « It is essential to be active by passing laws, but as we can see : it is not enough «The Venus Museum project », an outdoors museum made of five sculptures to change the persistent inequalities between men and women in our society, inspired in what we call the obsessive bodies: because there is always a gap between legislation and the application. The five feminine archetypes are: To support this process, it is also our representations, our imagination and our symbolic constructions that must be addressed. This is why the theater and art in 1) THE PRIMITIVE WOMEN (only feeds her babies, but is devoured: the general, can help to create new myths, new imaginary spaces where it is possible Mother) to leave the hierarchical relationship between men and women, where it is possible to invent relationships among individuals with multiple identities, but the 2) THE GREEKS (half naked, half dressed, her Body is her expression and difference is systematically returned to a negative pole. weapon) Advancing in the project, it became increasingly clear that all forms of inequality, 3) THE WITCHES (dressed as men she tries to express herself, but gets burned domination between humans, adopt the same patterns of operation, be it racism, by society) machismo, of class relations, homophobia ... The fundamental issue is the relationship with the other, that I perceive as different from me » 4) THE CREATIVE WOMEN (she allows herself to dream and create but sacrifices family) MARCELA OBREGON, PLAYWRIGHT AND AUTHOR OF «VENUS MUSEUM» 5) THE BRAIN WOMAN (she only thinks of thinking, forgets her body). This are living Sculptures that we place at different times in history and in different spaces of the Museum. A guide leads the audience and the Great Story is told by Androgyna (half woman, half man). Each sculpture is endorsed and set in motion by a professional actress. It is surrounded by an ensemble, a group consisting of amateur actors (or students) and amateur musicians. MARIANA ARAOZ AND CHRISTOPHE PATTY DIRECTORS OF THE VENUS MUSEUm 3 BASED ON AN ORIGINAL IDEA BY Mariana Araoz AND Leyla Haddadi PARTNERS TRANS-MISSION PROJECT SINCE 2006: DIRECTORS: Mariana Araoz AND Christophe Patty MANAGEMENT MASKS SCULPTURES AND MASKS: Etienne Champion FRANCE DRAMA AND WRITING: Marcela Obregon (in France) L’Avant-Seine Theatre of Colombes SCULPTURES AND COSTUMES: Sylvie Berthou L’œil du Baobab MUSIC: Marcelo Milchberg AND Mats Johansson The MF-92 Family Planning La Cave à Théâtre, Festival of Public Banks WITH: CSC Europe / EIM FRANCE: Axel Petersen, Marcela Obregon , Alan Boone, Peggy Dias, The Social and Cultural Center of Petit Colombes Céline Andreani, Maria Beloso Hall, Anna Cottis, Doriane Moretus, Eric Tinot. Jules Michelet Library SWEDEN: Harald Leander, Boel Larsson (writer) La Lumière de Colombes USA: Matt Trucano, Kyle Cadote, Barbara Berlovitz Theatre Le Hublot MJC Theatre of Colombes RESEARCH: Marcela Obregon, Stefan Ridell Collège Jean Baptiste Clément PUBLIC RELATIONS: Jean Luc Jamet Theatre 95 (Cergy Pontoise) PRODUCER: Isabelle Canals (France), Anne Lie Andersson (Sweden) Le Figuier Blanc (Argenteuil) ADMINISTRATION : Corinne Guillaume CAF-MUZ GRAPHIC DESIGN: Manuel Gonzalez-Ruiz / www.magoatelier.com (Spain) PICTURES: Jean Luc Jamet, Emilie Nilsson SWEDEN PRODUCTION : Collectif Masque Teater Halland, City of Varberg, Halland Region, Skillinge Theater, The Swedish CO-PRODUCTION : Institute, Stockholm-Paris, Isildurs Bane, Thales Teater, Teater Sagohuset, FRANCE: City of Cergy Pontoise, City of Colombes, City of Nanterre Museum of Contemporary Art Götteborg. SWEDEN: Thales Teater, Teater Halland, Teater Sagohuset USA: Bricklayers, St. Olaf College, Carlton College ROMANIA Urgent IC Foundation WITH THE SUPPORT OF: Ministry of Women’s Rights City Colombes Provincial Directorate of Social Cohesion The General Council (92) Mission departmental women’s rights and equality, The State La Cave à Théâtre of Colombes, The City of Cergy Pontoise, Europe (PEJA) MF for Family Planning, CSC Fossés-jean, CSC Europe, CSC Petit Colombes, The State, CG92, Europe (PEJA-mouvement) THANKS: Stephan Ridell, Marc Lesage, Nourdine Mohamed, Leyla Haddadi Marie Claude Noiran, Maria Ericson, Nadia Roz, Julian Araoz, Amanda Salceda, Elena Torres, John Patty, Thierry Lorent, Joanna Kosimska, Cécile Lenoir, Véronique Widock, Sebastien Godin, Frank Lamartière, Aisha Ourhzif, 4 Chantal Barthélemy-Ruiz, Helena Lofjard, Maria Sjpola, Astou Fall. ABOUT THE STAGING AND WRITING Surprise is the dynamic element of the staging. THE VENUS MUSEUM... During the visit, the sculptures appear in front of the eyes of the audience. The space seemed empty and now, as if by magic, an image, an unusual human This is a project that was born from the creations, the plays, meetings, picture: bearer of memories, stories and emotions.” workshops and laboratories about women, gender studies and our relation to this question. CHRISTOPHE PATTY CO-DIRECTOR We first built a prototype of The Venus Museum in June 2010 with professional actors and amateurs in the city of Colombes. Then we worked on ”the obsessive body” with costume designer Sylvie Berthou in a Master Class with young Swedish and young French amateurs during the second European youth exchanges (Teater Halland, CSC Fossés-Jean and Europe- PEJA) we did in October 2010. In May 2011, the first living sculpture was unveiled to the audience at The International Festival of Public Benches, in Colombes. Then we progressed to the stage writing in Teater Halland in Sweden, during the Second European Exchange in October 2011. A second model of The Venus Museum was born in March 2012 with the creation of new living sculptures. The Venus Museum, is a research field born from our practical and direct work with people and communities, and the result of performing the plays we have created since 2006 in the frame of our Research *. The Venus Museum features five pictures scattered invested in space (a park, a mall, the lobby of a museum, an esplanade). Each picture highlights feminine archetypes, as living sculptures that we place at different times in history. A guide leads the audience through the journey and the great story is told by Androgyna.. Each sculpture is endorsed and set in motion by a professional actress. It is surrounded by an ensemble, a group consisting of amateur actors and amateur musicians or students.